Driverless trucks to roll out across US sun belt as McLane deploys Aurora's self-driving rigs

McLane is planning to deploy self-driving trucking technology from Aurora Innovation across routes in Texas and the broader US Sun Belt by the end of the year, expanding on an autonomous freight pilot program that began in 2023.

Texas-based McLane is one of the largest distribution companies in the United States, with more than 80 distribution centres covering a large operational network and a workforce of around 25,000 employees. The company uses Aurora Driver technology in long-haul trucking to transport perishable supplies for restaurant brands.

The pilot programme included two round trips daily between Dallas and Houston, seven days a week, using what is termed “supervised” autonomous technology to manage the “middle mile” in long-haul trucking. McLane’s specialised drivers handle the final-mile local delivery of loads to customers using separate trucks.

Since 2023, McLane’s routes using this technology have logged 280,000 autonomous miles in Texas, spanning over 1,400 loads delivered to restaurants. McLane has now approved expanded operations between Dallas and Houston and plans to add new routes between distribution centres across the US Sun Belt by the end of the year.

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Reports suggest the commercial contract marks a major win for Aurora as it seeks to transition from a developer of autonomous trucks to a full-scale commercial operator earning revenue from driverless routes. This comes a year after the company launched its commercial self-driving truck service in Texas. Since then, Aurora has secured a commercial agreement to haul frac sand for Detmar Logistics. Just last month, Hirschbach Motor Lines agreed to purchase 500 Aurora-powered trucks, an agreement outlined in an MoU expected to close later this year.

The company now operates driverless trucks, with some still featuring human observers in the cab. A CNBC report highlights that freight trucking is expected to scale rapidly starting this year, with Texas becoming a primary deployment hub for autonomous freight trucking. This is due to the Sun Belt’s high freight traffic, with routes stretching from Texas to Arizona and California, as well as the lack of severe weather conditions such as snow or ice, which helps streamline operations.

A 1,000-mile route already exists between Fort Worth, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona, notable for being beyond what a human truck driver could complete without stopping. The company has also signed a deal with Volvo Autonomous Solutions to run a new 2,000-mile freight route between Dallas and Oklahoma City.